Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. It is a degenerative, incurable and terminal disease. The increasing prevalence of AD is, among other reasons, due to population aging, which is, to a certain extent, se...

Studies of the impact of long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution on the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and lung function in children have yielded mixed results, partly related to differences in study design, exposure assessment, confounder selection and data analysis.We assembled respiratory health and exposure data for >45,000 children from comparable cross-sectional studies in 12 countries. 11 respiratory symptoms were selected, for which comparable questions were asked. Spirometry was performed in about half of the children. Exposure to air pollution was mainly characterised by annual average concentrations of particulate matter with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm (PM₁₀) measured at fixed sites within the study areas.Positive associations were found between the average PM₁₀concentration and the prevalence of phlegm (OR per 10 μg·m⁻³1.15, 95% CI 1.02–1.30), hay fever (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.99–1.46), bronchitis (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.98–1.19), morning cough (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02–1.29) and nocturnal cough (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.98–1.29). There were no associations with diagnosed asthma or asthma symptoms. PM₁₀was not associated with lung function across all studies combined.Our study adds to the evidence that long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution, characterised by the concentration of PM₁₀, is associated with increased respiratory symptoms.

Sustainable competitive advantage, as a key factor in business success, ensures that the company is able to dominate the market with differentiated products and services over a long period of time. This advantage is especially achieved through business intelligence, since smart decisions, leveraging meaningful data and analytics, and continuous process improvement help the company maintain this advantage and experience sustainable growth. The aim of this study is to rank the factors influencing sustainable competitive advantage from a business intelligence standpoint. The research methodology consists of two stages: qualitative and quantitative. In the first step, content analysis was performed to extract indicators from previous studies. In the second step, indicators were ranked using the F-TOPSIS method. Factors affecting sustainable competitive advantage from the business intelligence viewpoint were categorized into 5 criteria, including 27 sub-criteria. The 5 main criteria are customer relationship management, smart marketing, soft and hard organizational factors, and the mental image of the product, respectively. In the second step, the sub-criteria in each criterion were ranked. In customer relationship management, the most important sub-criterion is effective interaction with customers. In smart marketing, the most important sub-criterion is feedback and continuous improvement. Among the soft and hard organizational factors, the most important sub-criteria are support from senior management and technology and infrastructure. In the mental image of the product, the most important sub-criterion is social responsibility.

Background To compare the success rate of monocanalicular intubation (MCI) compared with bicanalicular silicone intubation (BCI) in congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) in infants and toddlers. Methods In a prospective, nonrandomized, comparative study, MCI (n = 35 eyes) through the inferior canaliculus or BCI (n = 35 eyes) were performed under general anaesthesia in children aged 10 to 36 months with CNLDO. The tubes were removed 3–4 months after tube placement, and the children were followed up for 6 months after the removal of tubes. Therapeutic success was defined as the fluorescein dye disappearance test grade 0–1, corresponding with a complete resolution of previous symptoms. Partial success was defined as improvement with some residual symptoms. Results Complete and partial improvement was achieved in 31/35 (88.57%) in the BCI group and 34/35 (97.14%) in the MCI group. The difference between the two groups was not significant (p = 0.584). Complications occurred in both groups. Dislodgement of the tube and premature removal was observed in four BCI cases, and loss of the tube was observed twice in the MCI group. Canalicular slitting was observed in five eyes in the BCI group. Granuloma pyogenicum observed in 2 cases with MCI revealed a few weeks after the tube removal. Corneal erosion in the inferior medial quadrant was observed in one MCI eye and revealed in a few days after the local treatment without tube removal. Conclusions Both MCI and the BCI are effective methods for treating CNLDO. MCI has the advantage of a lower incidence of canalicular slit and easy placement.